UNIVERSITY PARK - Former President George W. Bush reiterated on Wednesday his hope for a "positive resolution" to the immigration debate, saying once again that the country's "immigrant heritage has enriched America's history" and "continues to shape our society."

Speaking at a naturalization ceremony for 20 new American citizens, Bush made clear that he wouldn't wade into partisan politics or offer any specific policy proposals. But he nonetheless raised the profile of a problem that has stymied him and other policymakers for years.

"We are a nation of laws, and we must enforce the laws," he said in a six-minute speech. "But we have a problem. The laws governing our immigration system are not working. The system is broken."

The ceremony was part of the George W. Bush Institute's event, "What Immigrants Contribute: A Special Event on Immigration, Texas and Economic Growth," the first major policy gathering held at the George W. Bush Presidential Center since it opened in May.

Immigration is a topic close to Bush, a former Texas governor whose inability as president to pass an immigration overhaul is highlighted in the Bush Center's museum. And his party's outreach to Hispanics has been a hot topic, as the GOP received little support among the demographic in last year's election.

But despite widespread attention surrounding Wednesday's event - fueled in part by President Barack Obama's own immigration push, including the release of new report Wednesday on the economic benefits of his favored revamp - politics were largely absent from Bush's remarks.

Bush instead focused on the impact immigrants have made throughout America's history. He repeated language from previous speeches, calling for a "benevolent spirit" in the immigration debate and declaring that "America can be a lawful society and a welcoming society at the same time."

And he spent much of his brief speech speaking directly to the 20 new American citizens, who hailed from 12 different countries.

"I welcome you to this free nation," Bush said. "It's an honor to call you fellow Americans."

Bush sent Washington into a tizzy last week, when he told ABC News that Congressional leaders were "making progress" on an immigration overhaul. He added that such a breakthrough would transcend party politics, saying that "good policy yields good politics."

The interview stirred speculation that Bush was gearing up for a rare foray into the daily political scrum, especially as the House prepares to consider an immigration bill endorsed by President Barack Obama and passed by the Senate last month.

But Bush's comments last week tracked closely to his other public remarks on the topic in recent months, signaling that his speech Wednesday would more likely be a broad embrace of an immigration overhaul than anything specific.

The former president said much the same at a Bush Institute event in December, when he called for a "benevolent spirit" in the immigration debate. And in an interview with The Dallas Morning News in April, Bush reiterated his hopes that immigration reform would pass.

The point, he said, is "to care more about the idea and less about the credit."

Bush advocated hard for an immigration overhaul as president. His proposal centered on a guest-worker program, increased boarder security and a path to citizenship, albeit one that would take a decade or more, for the millions of illegal immigrants in the U.S.

Those efforts were defeated in Congress. That was partly because of resistance from some of his fellow Republicans - Texans among them - who accused him of pursuing amnesty.

Obama, sensing perhaps similar difficulties in the House, harped on that fact in April at the Bush Center's dedication. He hailed Bush for having "restarted an important conversation" on the topic and implored House Speaker John Boehner to act on immigration policy.

"If we do that, it will be in large part thanks to the hard work of President George W. Bush," Obama said.

The Bush Institute's immigration discussion continues throughout the morning - with panel discussions on how immigrants have impacted Texas' economy, how naturalization can boost the economy and how immigrants have served in the military and key civic roles.

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